Daily Archives: October 12, 2012

Sunday night’s thunderstorm knocked out power for an estimated 2400 Baker County customers and left a number of north Macclenny residents looking for new places to live.

About 8:30-9 pm a large uprooted tree fell into the roof of a two-unit duplex at 675 W. Ohio Ave., puncturing sizable holes that made way for the nearly 3-inches of rainfall that accompanied the storm the evening of October 7.

The next morning, the 2130-square-foot duplex’s occupants were busy moving out as a work crew dismantled the tree outside.

“It shook the house,” recalled Connie Walker, an 8-year tenant of the property owned by Donnie and Barbara Gaines.

Next, Ms. Walker said, water began coming through the air conditioning vents. Then, the bedroom ceiling collapsed on her mattress.

Ms. Walker, who works for the Florida Department of Transportation in St. Augustine, said she was able to remove most of her property, besides the bed, before it was damaged. Her two pet dachshunds went unharmed as well.

It didn’t take long Friday night for the Baker County High School Wildcats to resume their dominance of the Paxon Eagles and stake a claim to the co-lead in the district title race. The Cats scored on their first possession and then cruised to a 36-0 victory.

The Wildcats have had Paxon’s number over the last few years. Last season they shut out the Eagles to set a scoring record of 64-0 (broken in this year’s 73-0 waxing of Duval Charter).

Though Paxon is considerably better than last year’s version, it still was unable to stop BCHS. In the Cats’ opening possession, Falon Lee romped for 20 yards into Paxon territory to the 45-yard line. Corey Lawler, who has been running the ball very well as the Wildcats marched to a 4-1 record, moved the ball to the 3-yard line and on the next play, Mike Boone ran it in for the score. Lawler picked out Boone in the end zone for the two point conversion and an 8-0 lead.

Paxon had trouble all night long with long snaps. After the opening possession stalled, the center snapped the ball over the head of the punter, and though he got off a good punt to the Wildcat 32 it was the first of many miscues for the Eagles.

Lee moved the ball into Paxon territory on three successive runs and Lawler found Mike Boone for the touchdown. Boone got an excellent block from lineman Jon Kinney to break him out into the open and from there Boone did the rest as he scored from 45 yards out. The conversion attempt was no good but the Cats were up 14-0 at the end of the first period.

The second period saw the Cats capitalize on a second poor snap as the Eagle punter bobbled the ball and the Wildcats rushed in and blocked the punt to give BCHS the ball on the Eagle 7-yard line. Three plays later, Lawler ran it in from 2 yards out and then found Boone in the end zone for the conversion score and a 22-0 lead.

Oliver Donald Crews, 82, of Moniac, GA died on Thursday, July 5, 2012 at his residence following a lengthy illness. He was born and lived his entire life in Moniac, and was the son of the late Robert and Millie Crews.

Mr. Crews owned and operated a large livestock farm on Hwy. 185 across the Florida-Georgia line for years. He was a member of the Moniac Baptist Church, the Georgia Farm Bureau and the bureau board for 20 years, 13 years as president. He was recently recognized by the Georgia Farm Bureau for 42 years of service as a charter member.

Mr. Crews was drafted into the Navy during the Korean War and served honorably for two years, and he also served on the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Board and the Gold Kist Egg Board for many years.

Carl A. (Bud) Daniels Jr., 56, of Bryceville died on July 6, 2012 in Baldwin following a lengthy illness. He was born on June 4, 1956 in Jacksonville, the son of the late Carl. A. Daniels Sr. and the former Sally Cobb.